December 31, 2009

Three Sixty Five

It's hard to believe that it has been a year since my mom died. I still don't feel like it is real. I thought that by now I would have come to terms with it, but I guess I'm just not quite ready yet. It was so weird to have Thanksgiving and Christmas without her. She loved the holidays so much. She loved that the family came together for the celebration, buying gifts for her kids and grand kids, and making candy for hours every day. They were definitely her favorite months of the year, and it is hard to know that they are going to continue on, and she won't be able to enjoy them ever again. It breaks my heart.

My family didn't even have a Christmas party this year.

Things just aren't the same without her around.

December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!


Love,
The Scotherns

December 19, 2009

Why can't all teachers be good ones?

I understand that college is supposed to be more difficult than high school, but I think that some teachers take it way too far. Brett's art history teacher is one of them.

He had his final for the class this morning, and to prepare for it, he has been studying his ass off. Yesterday alone, the two of us spent around eight hours cramming to try and make sense of it all. I think that she enjoys torturing her students. It's not like she gives them a review with an idea of what is going to be on the test and tells them to study it. No, instead she gives them a study guide a million miles long, and then only puts a fraction of it on the exam. So instead of being able to know that you are walking into the classroom ready, and confident in knowing what is coming your way, he ends up walking into the classroom having memorized as much as he possibly can about all of the items in the study guide, and doesn't have a clue until grades are posted whether he did good or not.

I think that my main problem with this particular style of teaching, is that he hasn't actually learned anything about any of the art that they have been going over. Instead, he memorizes as many small, useless details as possible, just to hold him over until the next test where he has to do it all again.

Aren't you supposed to come out of a class feeling like you have learned something on the subject?

It's pointless.

Update: Brett ended up with a B for his final grade in this class. Hallelujah!

December 10, 2009

Loving this music video

December 7, 2009

I've missed you

I don't know why, but I just don't feel like I have anything to write about lately. Maybe it's because all I have been doing for the last three weeks is trying to find a job. I don't think that you guys would be interested in hearing about how many jobs I am applying for on a daily basis. Trust me, it's not interesting.

I do have something that I'm excited to talk about though. I have decided that while I am looking for a job, and I have some extra time in my day, I am going to devote a good chunk of my time to working on my book. I think that I'd like to look at being laid off as a new opportunity, rather than seeing it as a tragedy.

Feeling sorry for myself won't help the situation at all, and when I did have a job it didn't seem like I could ever find time to sit down and write. Today, that's all going to change!

Here's to new opportunities. Wish me luck!!